The present invention relates to a buckle for locking straps for fastening goods loaded onto a truck or the like.
Conventionally, goods which are served to a truck or the like are bound with a rope made out of jute or the like. A first end of the rope is attached to a hook on one side of the truck or the like. The rope is wound around the goods and wrapped around another hook on the opposite side of the truck. The rope is finally tied into a knot on the hook located at the opposite side of the truck. The goods are thus fastened. The trouble with using a rope is that time is wasted when winding the rope around the goods; it is not always easy to tie a firm knot to secure the goods; and the roughness of the rope can easily damage the goods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,833 discloses a buckle assembly with a strap-tightening mechanism where in a padlock is needed to fix a handle member and a main frame in a secure position. Disadvantageously, such a buckle has a high cost and the weight thereof is so substantial that the buckle may cause serious damage to the goods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,360 discloses a ratchet buckle for tightening and tensioning strap wherein ratchet wheels and two spring-biased latching plates are employed to tighten the strap. It is very difficult to disengage the two latching plates from the ratchet wheels simultaneously; thus, it is very difficult to loosen the strap.